


Masquerade

by adlersangels



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Birthday, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, My First Smut, Physical Abuse, Sexual Content, Verbal Abuse, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-18 23:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3587661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adlersangels/pseuds/adlersangels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A birthday party ends in shambles, but can Bruce Banner save the day? Follow Bruce and Ashlynn on an adventure through love, lust, and the ever so dangerous cycle of life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Happy birthday Ashlynn!" The crowd cheers as I enter the ballroom. I smile and feel the heat rising to my cheeks. Masks cover everyone's faces as I glance around. I look up and find my boyfriend, Jameson, smiling at me. 

"Happy birthday love." He leans down and kisses my cheek. We walk in farther and find Tony and Pepper, surrounded by everyone else, minus Thor. 

"Good evening guys!" I laugh, "What an amazing party." 

"Happy birthday!" they say in unison. 

"I just want you to know that this was all my idea." Tony says from underneath a plain black mask. "And that you are one of my best friends. You are a best friend to all of us, and we are so thankful to have your ass-kicking self on this team."

"Well thank you, all of you. Tonight is going to be an amazing night, I can just feel it!" I say happily. I glance down at my dress and sigh in content. A deep, sexy red gown flowing to the ground. The top part of the dress is a soft nude color, with red flowers covering it all the way down my arms. A feathery and sparkly black mask covers my eyes. 

For a while, I dance around with Jameson, sometimes dancing with Steve, Clint or Tony. I take break and walk over to the punch table, finding doctor Banner watching the crowd, a phantom mask covering half his face.   

"Hello Bruce!" I say cheerfully. He looks over and smiles, nodding to me.

"You look incredible tonight." He marvels, taking my dress in. "By far the most beautiful woman in the room."

"Why thank you!" I say, twirling in my spot, hoping it hide my blush. "You enjoying your evening?" 

"Well, you're here, of course I am!" He laughs a little. "But I miss the lab too." 

"Awe Bruce, you are too kind to me. And I can kinda tell you'd rather be in the lab right now. How's that experiment going?"

"Great, actually. It needed a few hours to sit, so this party came just in time." 

"I'm glad. What exactly is it for?" I pour a cup of punch and start sipping.

"Its supposed to be a serum to help, uh, with the other guy. Keep him away and whatnot." He starts fiddling with his wrists. 

"Oh, I see. Well, I hope this works out for you!" I smile at him. 

We stand quietly for a moment, glancing around the party. I can feel him looking at me every once in a while. 

"You boyfriend looks pretty comfortable over there." Bruce nods to  a corner and I see him with a red head. 

"I guess so." I say through gritted teeth. I then sigh and set down the cup, turning to walk away. 

"How do you let him do that?" Bruce calls. 

"Its easy," I turn my head and half smile, "I love him to much." 

"That bastard doesn't deserve you." Bruce looks down and shakes his head.

Suddenly everyone gasps and starts singing happy birthday. I look over and see a large cake coming out, candles adorning it. I walk up and blow them out, everyone clapping as I do. I get a small piece and stand around with Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Nat, and Clint. I look around for Jameson and see him at the bar, flirting with some brunette. He leans over and whispers something in her ear, and she nods eagerly. 

"You want me to go say something?" I hear from behind. I turn and find Steve standing there, frowning at me. 

"No Steve, please don't. It's fine. I'll deal with it." I shake my head. Steve sighs, and we turn back to the conversation. Much later, a waiter comes around with more cake. We all grab a slice, and start digging in. 

"Do you really need that?" I hear Jameson behind me. I turn and frown at him. 

"Babe, it's a small slice-"

"Ash, you don't need that." He takes the cake out of my hand and sets it on a table nearby. 

I roll my eyes and shake my head, turning back to Tony, who seems to be enjoying the cake way too much. I feel a slight pain in my side and glance down, seeing Jamesons hand. 

"You have two minutes, then we leave." He leans down and whispers. 

"Jameson, it's my party. I'm not going to be the first one to leave." I look up and shake my head. 

"I'm not asking you-"

"I'm not leaving-"

"Everything alright?" Bruce pipes in, smiling at me. 

"Hello doctor Banner." Jameson sticks a hand out, waiting for him to shake it. Bruce stares for a moment before reluctantly shaking it. "Ash and I were just getting ready to go. Isn't that right Ashlynn?" 

"Can I please talk to you a moment?" I say through gritted teeth. I smile at Bruce before turning and walking to the back of the room, Jameson in tow. 

"Jameson, we can't leave yet, it's my birthday part-"

"Fucking hell Ashlynn, I'm not telling you again, we're  _going._ " 

"Why? Why can't I have fun?" I start to get upset, holding back tears. 

"For one, you're dressed like a whore. Every fucking guy is staring at you, though I don't know why. You're so fat. You didn't need that cake either."

"You said you liked the dress?" I blink, tears pricking my eyes. 

"Well, we all lie at some point in our lives. I'll have someone go pull up the car for us. And only salads for you the rest of the week. You're getting fatter every time I look at you."

"I'm not leav-"  _smack._ His hand makes contact with my cheek. My head snaps back and smashes into the wall. I gasp as I crumple to the floor. I glance up just in time to see a fist make contact with his jaw. My eyes widen as he lands in a heap in front on me. Bruce is standing there, breathing heavily, fists clenched.  

"Ashlynn!" Natasha and clint come over, helping me up. My hand goes to my head and I pull away, seeing a red substance dripping down my hand. Tony and Steve pick Jameson up and start walking him away. He jerks way and grabs my wrist, dragging me away. I struggle, trying to get him to let go. 

"Leave her alone!" Someone yells. I turn and see Bruce coming at him, his face slightly green. 

Jameson stops and turns to punch Bruce, but misses. I gasp as the two start fist fighting, Bruce getting angrier and angrier by the second. Everyone in the crowd has stopped to watch the fight. Jameson wipes blood from his lip and shakes his head. Steve finally intervenes and blocks Jameson, stopping him in his tracks. I walk to Bruce and grab his hand, running to the elevator. 

Once the door closes, I latch onto him. I feel tears falling as I cling to his chest. His arms make their way around my back and he starts rubbing it, trying to calm me down. 

After what seems an eternity, we reach the lobby. He slowly walks me out and to his car, opening the door for me. The second I'm sitting, he shuts the door and runs around the car, hopping in the driver's seat. The drive back goes quickly. Once were in the tower, he sits me down, and starts cleaning wound. 

"Would you like me to notify the Mr. Stark of your arrival?" J.A.R.V.I.S asks.

"No, it's okay." Bruce says. 

We sit in silence for a while before he starts to speak. 

"Why'd you let him hit you?" Bruce asks me quietly. 

"I- I don't know." I whisper, staring past him. "I'm so used to it, I didn't even think about it." 

"Used to it? This isn't the first time he's hit you?" His voice gets sadder. 

"No." I whisper. He just shakes his head and goes back to patching me up. In no time, I'm cleaned up. 

"Hey, look at me." He kneels down to my eye level. I look up at him, tears falling down my cheeks. "That's not going to happen ever again. He will never lay a hand on you again, ever. How could you let him do that, you're an avenger for Christ's sake!"

"I was blind. I was so in love, and so blind. I let it happen, because I- I don't know. I was afraid to lose him. After all I've been through, I had him, and at the beginning, it was amazing." I smile a little, "but it slowly got worse. But I loved him, at least I thought I did." 

"No more, Ashlynn. He's gone, for good." Bruce grabs my hands and rubs them with his thumbs. I look back at him and smile, sniffling a little. "Come on." He stands me up and walks me to the bathroom. I sit on the toilet as he draws a hot bath, bubbles everywhere. 

"Thank you Bruce." I say weakly. 

"Let me know when you're in." He turns to leave.

"Wait," I say, "I need help unzipping this, please." He nods and comes over, slowly pulling my blonde hair away. I hear the zipper going down my back, as well as a sigh from Bruce. 

"Why this one?" He asks quietly, rubbing his thumb over it. 

"I didn't order a salad at lunch yesterday." His lips make contact with my skin, and I feel chills go down my spine.  He finishes unzipping and exits, closing the door behind him. I undress and step in, sinking in slowly. Bruce comes in a moment later and sits behind me, grabbing the shower head. 

"J.A.R.V.I.S, play Ashlynn' s playlist please." Bruce asks. 

"Of course sir." The sounds of Beethoven start to fill the bathroom, and I feel myself relaxing for the first time in long while. Bruce turns the shower head on and starts to wash my hair. After finishing up, he sits quite for a moment. I then feel more kisses around my bruises, chills racing through my body. I close my eyes and lean back, slightly smiling. 

"God, you're so beautiful." He whispers as he moves from my back to my neck. "So, so gorgeously beautiful." 

I open my eyes and find him staring at me, his hands combing through my hair. 

"I'll go put a movie in. Anything specific you want to watch?" He asks as he gets up.

"Mm, surprise me." I turn and smile at him. He nods and leans over, kissing my forehead. I get out and dry myself off, sliding on one of Bruce's old shirts and boxers. I slowly finish cleaning up, and walk out just as Bruce walks in, changed into his comfy clothes and a bowl of popcorn in hand. 

I climb in and lay my head on the pillow, and Bruce covers me in my softest blanket. He sets the treat down and crawls up by me, cuddling close to me. We end up watching Beauty and the Beast, and I can't help but sing along a bit. He smiles and stares at me when I really get into it, and I only laugh and continue. As the movie comes to an end, I snuggle close to Bruce, covering the both of us in my blanket. 

After the tv is turns off, Bruce reaches over and turns the light on. I take the blanket off and wrap it around my shoulders. He looks down at my legs and sighs, moving over look at them. Bruises and cuts cover my legs, making them look more like a punching bag than actual legs. 

"Never again.." He whispers as he leans over and kisses each one. "I will  _never_ let this happen." Bruce moves up to my stomach and lifts the shirt a bit, staring at the marks. His kisses litter my body, and after what seems like a mere second, he makes his way back up to my face. I stare at him in admiration, my hands running through his brown curls. 

"I'm sorry Bruce." I say softly, playing with his hair a bit. 

"Whys that?" He raises a brow. 

"I was blind. There was real love around me the whole time, and I never realized it." We both lean forward, and our lips meet. Nothing exotic or crazy, just a simple kiss. My hands running through his hair while his arms went to my waist. 

We break apart, and I smile at him, cupping his face in my hands. 

"Come on, let's get some sleep." He gets up and swings around lifting me off the bed. After pulling back the covers, he swiftly picks me up bridal style, and lays me down in the center of the bed, pulling the covers over me. He crawls in a moment later and snuggles close to me. As we slowly drift off to sleep, I look up and find him staring at me. 

"I love you Bruce, so much." I whisper. 

"I love you to Ashlynn." He smiles, kissing my forehead. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up to a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist. For a moment I'm confused as to where I am, then I realize.  _Bruce._

I look up and find him staring at me, a smile plastered across his face. "Good morning beautiful." He slowly leans forward and kisses my forehead. 

"Good morning," I giggle, "Were you staring at me?"

"I was." He nods, pulling me close to him. "Problem?" 

"Not at all." I smile, slowly bringing my hand up to his messy curls. I play with them a bit, enjoying the silence. I feel his thumbs grazing my hips, chills echoing through my body. 

"Want some breakfast?" Bruce sits up, yawning. 

"But I'll be here, all alone. No one to cuddle with. Staring out those big windows, by myself." I sigh, scooting farther into the pillows. 

"I'll make pancakes, and put strawberries on them." He suggests. 

"Lets go right now!" I suddenly sit up, smiling at him. 

"Alright sweetie." Bruce scoots off the bed and grabs my hand, pulling me into the kitchen. I sometimes forget that Tony had designed this tower so that each person had his or her own floor, equipped with everything. Bruce pulls the mix out and we start throwing everything together, making only a slight mess. I cut the strawberries while he flips the jacks, brining them to a golden brown. 

Once everything's complete, we sit in the dining room, enjoying the silence. 

"These are the best damn pancakes I have ever eaten." I say, sticking another fork-full in my mouth. 

"Why thank you, miss Ashlynn." Bruce smiles, nodding slightly at me. The sun sets a slight glare across his glasses, and I squint slightly at him. 

"I just realized, you have  that serum down in the lab, and I'm keeping you from working on it. I'm so sorry-"

"Hey, hey. Calm down!" Bruce laughs a bit, holding his hand out to me. "Its fine. I was gonna go down later and work on it anyways. Don't apologize. Besides, you're the best distraction I've had in a long time."

I nod, smiling at him. He gets up and grabs the plates. I follow him into the kitchen, picking up the mess we left. After a good half hour, everything's cleaned up, and we head back into Bruce's room. Bruce hops in the shower, so I ask J.A.R.V.I.S. to play some of my music. Five minutes later, it stops, and my ringtone starts playing. 

"Incoming call from Mr. Stark, ma'am. Would you like to answer it?" Jarvis asks. 

"I guess." I sigh, falling onto the bed. 

"Where are you?" Tony says the second the call connects. 

"Hi to you to, and that depends." I say. 

"Well, I've got all your stuff from that stupid apartment. Clothes, little bit of furniture, it's all here." Tony buffs, sounding proud. 

"Seriously?" I sit up, my eyes wide. 

"Yes, seriously. I've got a spare floor I'm going to put you in. Well, not spare. The one I had designed for you but you refused. So now's your chance to use it." 

"Who's on the phone?" Bruce asks, walking out of the bathroom. 

"Is that Bruce?" Tony asks. 

"Its just Tony." I look over, shaking my head. 

"What's he want?"

"I'm sorry,but you didn't answer me. Your with Bruce? That's where you spent your night?" 

"He grabbed all my things from that apartment. Said he's bringing them here." I shrug. 

"Ashlynn." Tony calls.

"What Tony?" I reply. 

"Come up to your floor. I'll see you in two minutes." Tony says, hanging up. I look over at Bruce, who just rolls his eyes. Five minutes later I hop off the elevator, meeting Tony and the movers. 

"I can't believe you-"

"We didn't have sex-" 

"You didn't?" Tony looks over, eyes wide. 

"No, he fixed my head, got me cleaned up, watched a movie, then fell asleep. Nothing else." 

"Huh." Tony shrugs, "Well, that piece of shit ex is now sitting in a cell somewhere."

"Seriously?" I gawk at him, "What happened?"

"Apparently you are not the first woman he's hit. By the way, I'll be personally taking you to the police station later to file a report." 

"Thank you Tony!" I smile, enveloping him in a hug. He chuckles, patting my back a bit. The elevator dings and we turn around to see Bruce walking toward us, damp hair, a purple dress shirt and black dress pants. He walks up, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

"God, your place looks better than mine." He marvels, sighing a bit. 

"So down this hallway," Tony moves around to the right side, walking down the hall, "We have your bathroom." He opens the door to a large bathroom. A deep clawfoot tub rests against a wall made of glass, overlooking the city. I smile at the large sink and counter, huge mirrors that covers the wall. "One way Windows, of course. Full privacy."

We walk out and move down a ways more, coming to the next door on the left side of the hall. I open it to find my master suite. A four post king sized bed, adorned in deep creams and reds, sits opposite the door. A dark brown armoire just to the right, sitting open. On the left sits my makeup table. Again, another one way glass wall overlooking the bustling city. 

"This is breath taking," I smile, walking up to the large window, "I've never seen anything more beautiful. It's so big, I can just dance around!" I start moving about, humming to myself. 

"You picked a keeper." I hear Tony tell Bruce.

"I did, didn't I?" Bruce laughs a bit, staring at me. 

"What else is there?" I march to Tony, motioning him to the door. He exits and takes me to the other side, showing me my own movie room, filled with an endless supply of movies. There's  private gym adjacent to it, filled with everything I need for training. The final room surprises me, for I have never seen anything more beautiful. The entire room seems to be made of glass, and in the middle is a beautiful baby grand piano. A music stand rests off to one side, with a flute case sitting next to it. A bookshelf full of music and books cover the wall to my right. A creme colored loveseat sits on the other side, with a small side table adorned in roses next to it. I gasp and slowly walk in, marveling at it. 

"Tony-"

"You're welcome kid. Come here." Tony holds his arms out. I walk up and hug him, laughing a bit. "Now I have a meeting, which I'm already late for. So I'll see you later and take you down to the station. Bye Bruce!" 

We follow Tony out and stand in the living room, looking at the sight. I smile, knowing that this was my new home. I turn to Bruce, who's already staring at me. I walk up to him and slide my arms around his shoulders. 

"This is so much better than mine. You're very lucky." Bruce wraps his arms around my waist. I shiver in delight and lean my head on his chest, taking his scent in. 

"I should get dressed." I sigh, letting go and turning to my room. 

"Come 'ere." He grabs my wrist at the last second. I turn and he catches my lips, leaving a sweet kiss upon them. 

"See you soon." I giggle, pushing him towards the evelator. I turn back and go to my room, turning some Tchaikovsky on. I slowly dance around my room as swan lake fills the air. An hour later, I'm fully ready for the day. Realizing I have nothing to do, I go to my study. I kill some hours playing and writing music, filling some weird void. 

The day slowly turns to night, and I realize Tony is not going to come get me. Sighing, I make my way to the kitchen, figuring out something to eat. I decide on some cereal and toast, making myself comfortable in the living room. I laugh as Maurie fills the air. Three runs later, I look at a clock and realize it's almost midnight. I sigh and click the tv off, setting my dishes in the washer. 

A warm bath sounds amazing, so thats what I do. Bubbles are created as the water fills the deep tub. I undress and slide in, softly singing to myself. 

" _Think of me, think of me fondly_

_When we've said goodbye,_

_Remember me, once in a while_

_Please promise me you'll try.."_  

Jarvis takes a hint and starts playing the music softly through the speakers. Halfway through the song, I start singing along. I hear the door open behind me but I stay motionless, eyes closed. 

"I'm surprised you left your lab, doctor." I say quietly. 

"I am too, but I was worried about you. Tony ever come?" Bruce comes and sits on the floor next to me. 

"Jarvis said he never came back," I shrug, looking over at him, "So I hung around here all day." 

"I guess so.." Bruce sighs. I bring my hands out of the water and rest them on the sides. He grabs hold of my left one and holds it, rubbing his thumbs across it. "You sing like an angel."

"Thank you Bruce. That really means a lot." I smile. 

"I just want you to know that I'm always gonna be here for you, no matter what. I'll do my best and try to never hurt you. I won't promise anything though. With this- this thing, the other guy, when he's out, I let him take control, and I go rampid. I mean, you've seen it before, but it wasn't like it is now. I just-"

"Bruce-" I cut him off, putting my fingers to his lips, "Hush, darling. Everything's gonna be okay. I don't care what the other guy does. Yes, he's apart of you, but that's more to love about you. There is so much to love about you, and he just comes along with it. Kinda like a package deal." I say, making the both of us laugh quietly, "But I'm not gonna stop loving you because of that. Ever." 

"God, I don't deserve you Ashlynn," he shakes his head, looking down, "Your beauty, and charm. Humor and kindness. The way your eyes light up when you laugh, or you blush when you catch me staring. The talent that you're made of. I marvel at how lucky I got when we finally we're together. When I first met you, all those years ago, I noticed those qualities in you, right from the start. I've longed from as far, but never made any attempts. I constantly regret that now." 

"Oh Bruce.." I look at him, tears welling.

"I would understand if this weren't to work out between us. I'm a workaholic with anger issues. I'm-"

I cut him off with a kiss, bringing my cold hand to his cheek. This time around, it's more adventurous, our tounges exploring every inch of each other's mouth. We split apart moments later, breathing heavily. I smile at him, rubbing my thumb across his cheek. 

"I should be getting out now. Waters cold." I start to move, then realize something. "Bruce, darling, can you grab me a towel please?" 

"Of course," he stands and walks to the closet, coming in a moment later and setting it down. "I'm gonna go down and get ready for bed."

"Alright," I smile. He nods and walks out, shutting the door behind him. I jump out and dress, combing my wet blonde hair. With brushed teeth, I head to my room, taking the pillows off my bed. I shut off the light and crawl in, closing my eyes. A moment later, I feel someone else get into the bed. 

"I didn't even hear you come in." I say softly, turning over and snuggling into his chest. 

"Well, I'm glad I surprised you."

"What a great surprise." 

"Goodnight Ash." Bruce mumbles, kissing my cheek, "I love you."

"Goodnight Bruce," I smile, "I love you more." 


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks pass and a police report is filed. I gain more muscle strength and advance my memory. I take on only two simple missions with Barton and Romanov, travelling to Columbia and Denmark. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't technically exist anymore, we have to really do these mission secretive. Successfully completing them, of course. Bruce and I have seemed to create a sort of strong bond between us. When I'm home, and he decides he wants to leave the lab, we try to do something together, whether it be going to dinner, or simply watching a movie.

This week has been different though. So far, Bruce hasn't left the lab in about 96 hours, and I'm slowly getting worried. Tony's said that every time he's down there, he gets Bruce to eat something, or he catches him dozing off while working. I just shake my head, sighing. As the day thins to night, I slowly get ready for bed. 11:30 rolls around in a flash, and I slowly drift off to sleep.

Some hours halter, I wake up with a start, reliving an old memory in the form of a dream. I wipe the beads away from my face and throw the covers back, inhaling deeply. Next thing I know, I'm on the elevator, heading down to Bruce's floor. I check around for him, finding no sign of life. I sigh and get back on, making another trip down to the lab. I exit and make my way down the hall. The door automatically opens as I step in, looking around for Bruce. I find him towards the back, leaning over some test tubes.

"Bruce.." I call softly, slowly making my way towards him. He doesn't seem to notice me.

"Bruce." I say again, more firmly. He tenses up, still not looking at me, but he sure as hell notices me.

"Ashlynn, please, not now." He says curtly. I come up and stand next to him, resting my arms on the table next to him.

"Bruce. Over 96 hours in this lab, I think it's time for a break-"

"I can't, not now." Bruce mumbles.

"When's the last time you slept? Your last full meal? This is unhealthy-"

"I said not now Ash, just go." Bruce glances at me, an evident frown on his face.

"Bruce please-"

"No!" He slams his fists on the label, knowing the tubes over. I gasp and jump back, flinching.

"You're busy, I get it. This is important to you. I'm sorry for bothering you." I say shortly and turn on my heel, running out. I can feel tears threatening to fall, but I try my best to block them. The moment I reach my floor is the moment I feel regret. I should have never went down there. If I had minded my own business, I wouldn't have made him snap.

I stand in front of the elevator, contemplating for a moment. I turn around and get back on, going to the very top. The doors open to a spacious living room, with a bar situated just to the right. I walk past it out to the balcony, leaning against the railing. I don't know how long it is before I feel cold, rubbing my hands over my arms.

"How long have you been up here?" I hear someone behind me. I turn and find Bruce, his hands in his pockets.

"Awhile." I turn back and look at the city. I hear him come closer, his footsteps like soft waves. His arms come around me and lean against the railing on either side of me.

"I'm sorry.." He whispers into my ear, putting his hand on mine.

"I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I'm not hurt," I slowly turn and face Bruce, crossing my arms, "I love you Bruce, I care about you, you and your wellbeing. It's kinda my job as your girlfriend to make sure you're okay and having fun."

"I know you're trying to help sweetie, I know. But sometimes, when I work too much, and barely sleep and eat, I get that way. I told you I was a workaholic."

"I know what you told me, and you remember what I told you?" I raise a brow.

"You kissed me to shut me up." Bruce chuckles, rubbing his wrists together.

"Before that, I told you I would love you no matter what. Now you're kinda stuck with me. Me and all my weird quirks."

"Good, that's the best part." Bruce leans closer, his breath on my neck, "And I loved that you said girlfriend." He whispers. 

"Oh, don't think you're gonna get off so easy, mister. You've gotta make it up to me." I laugh, pushing him back. 

"Alright, give it to me." He grabs my hand and starts leading me towards the elevator. 

"First, let's start with a shower, or bath. Something that makes you smell less." 

"Done. What else?" 

"After that, we lay in bed. All day." I say as we step on. 

"All day?"

"All day." I nod, "No buts."

"Alright, fine. That's the deal." The doors open and we step off. The second the doors close, Bruce reaches around and scoops me up bridal style. I laugh as he carries me to my room, gently laying me down while towering over me. 

 "This is a very compromising position." I smirk at him, bringing my hands to his cheeks. 

"It sure is," he leans down and slowly plants his lips on mine, heat rising between us, "I could make it even more compromising if I please."

"You could," I laugh, "But you smell, babe. Bad. Shower time." 

Bruce groans and rolls off me, kissing me quickly before he does. He them walks into the bathroom, whistling as he does. I grab him a change of clothes and throw it on the counter as I walk into the kitchen. I pick up candles, strawberries, and a lighter. I walk quickly back into the room and set them around, lighting them as I do. I set the strawberries in the middle of the bed. I stare for a moment, trying to decide how to make it better. I gasp and smile, running to the kitchen. I grab a can of whip cream, and a bottle of wine, hurrying back to the room. Bruce comes in five minutes later, finding me trying to break the seal on the can. 

"Oh Ashlynn, I'm supposed to be making it up to you, yet I'm getting rewarded. What a strange woman you are." Bruce laughs, tossing his dirty clothes in my hamper. 

"Part of the deal." I smile, finally breaking the seal. I tilt my head back and press down, shooting the fluffy solid into my mouth, "Want some?" I ask, mouth full. 

"Sure," he hops onto the bed and starts kissing me. I laugh as he softly moans, tasting the sweet goodness. "Mm. Simply amazing. And strawberries? Now your spoiling me." 

I smirk as I pick one up, spraying a little cream on it. He leans over and bites it, closing his eyes as he does. I smile when he opens his eyes, nodding at me. Bruce leans around me and grabs the bottle of wine, quickly opening it up. 

By the time it's gone, the sun has slowly started to rise. We've made our way under the sheets and lay tangled in each other's arms, breathing in sync. As the sky slowly turns an orange-type color, I look up at him. 

"Three weeks." I say quietly. 

"What about it?" Bruce asks, raising a brow. 

"That's how long it's been since everything happened. You and me, the party, all that shit with Jameson. Three weeks since us officially started." I run my fingers along his chest. 

"Are you happy?" Bruce places a soft kiss upon my head. 

"The happiest," I sit up and look at him, smiling, "I feel like me again, all because of you. I could never thank you enough Bruce, never in a million years. You saved me. You're my hero." 

He sits quiet for a moment, staring at me. "Hearing you say that-" he stops, smiling at me, "Feels like I've finally done something right. Knowing that I've done this for you, makes me think I can do almost anything, and with you, I probably could." 

"I mean it when I say I love you. I've meant it from day one, and I'll mean it for the rest of my days. I love you Robert Bruce Banner." I lean over and softly kiss him. 

"And I love you, Ashlynn Grace Rose. You mean the world to me." Bruce wraps me in a big hug, pulling me to his chest. I smile as I take in his scent. "What would I do without you?"

"You'd miss out on eating strawberries and cream at 3 am with your kick-ass girlfriend."

Bruce just chuckles softly, slowly running his fingers along my back. I soon slowly fall asleep to the sound of our breathing. 


	4. Chapter 4

_'Come with me_

 _And you'll be_  
_In a world of_  
_Pure imagination..'_

I softly sing to myself as I clean the kitchen. After inviting all the Avengers up for lunch, I'm left with a huge mess. Not that I mind cleaning, of course. Steve's offered to help twice already. I tell him to buzz off and go back to cleaning, this song coming to mind as I do. 

"How wonderful, I didn't know this was lunch and a show!" Bruce comes in and wraps his arms around my waist, kissing my neck.

I laugh, leaning into him a bit. "Take a look, and you'll see, into your imagination." I turn to him and wrap my wet hands around his neck, "We'll begin, with a spin, traveling in the world of my creation."

"Two and a half months, and I still can't seem to get over you and your voice."

"What we'll see, will defy, explanation," I smile, quickly pecking his lips, "Thank you Bruce."

"You're welcome Ashlynn. You want help sweetie?" He grabs a couple plates from next to me and starts piling 

"I guess I don't have a choice," I laugh, turning and wiping the stove off. Within ten minutes, the entire kitchen is clean. Bruce grabs my hand and leads me to the couch. We collapse next to each other, sighing in content. 

"I've never seen you this way Bruce, it's quite surprising." Tony says, taking a sip from his beer. The others nod in agreement, laughing as I lean over and kiss his cheek. 

"Two months of all this mushy-shit, but I'm loving every second. I'm happy to see you like this Banner." Steve says quietly. 

"I'm glad you two are happy together. You both deserve the most happiness," Pepper smiles, "I wish Tony was as smooth as you, Bruce."

"Oh Pepper sweetie, I'm so much more romantic than Bruce." Tony scoffs.

"Really, it didn't seem that way the other night when-" Pepper starts, but Tony jumps up and covers her mouth, scooping her up and running to the elevator.

"Bye guys!" He calls as the doors close. We all fall into a fit of laughter a moment later. Soon they all start exiting, thanking me for the lovely lunch. After a few minutes, Bruce and I are left to ourselves. I slowly turn my head and look at him, finding him always staring at me. 

 "Shit.." He mumbles, "I've got lab work to do today." 

"I'm sure I'll find someth-" as if on cue, Jarvis alerts me of an incoming phone call. I pick it up to find Fury on the other end. 

"I need you over in France." He says shortly. 

"When, where, and why?" I say quickly, standing up and going to my room. 

"Before 11:00 pm tonight, so you've got a few hours until then. I'll find a jet and get you on in thirty minutes. We're going set you in the capital."

"What's going on?" Bruce walks in after me, asking quietly. 

"Paris?" I gasp, smiling. 

"Paris?" Bruce repeats. 

"Interrogation, and the buying and selling of illegal S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons. We're sending two others over with you. You've got 26 minutes." Fury says. We hang up and I start packing, throwing everything in at once. 

"A mission in Paris!" I say excitedly, running over and jumping into Bruce's arms. 

"Really? Holy shit, that's amazing. You ever been there before?" He smiles, kissing my head. I shake my head and jump out, running into the bathroom. 

"Its fantastic. No specific times, all I know is I have 23 minutes to pack. I'll be there by 11 tonight, their time." 

"I see." I walk by, him leaning against the door frame. 

"I'm so sorry to leave you on such a short notice. I'd love-" I quickly peck his lips, "Mm.. I'd love to spend all week with you babe. Just promise me one thing?" 

"Of course."

"Eat something while I'm gone. Maybe even sleep a bit?"

"I'll try." He chuckles, walking over to where I'm standing. "But only for you."

"Aren't I a special one?" I say as I zip my suitcase. 

"A little bit." I turn to Bruce and wrap my arms around his neck, nuzzling my head in the crook of his neck. 

" I love you Bruce. So much. Don't forget that, ever. Okay?"

"I promise." We stand there silent for a moment. "Is it gonna be dangerous?" 

"As always." I say quietly, intertwining my hand in his hair. 

 "I know, It's just- I always worry about you. Who knows what could happen while you're over there. This just, I have a bad feeling about this." Bruce sighs and rubs my back.

"Bruce, it's a simple interrogation, and I'm retrieving stolen items.  I'll be with two other, agents. In and out, maybe a week tops, if even." I let go and back up, looking him in the eye. 

"This whole thing just makes me so uncomfortable. Isn't there any way Fury can send Natasha or something?"

"Bruce, I'm taking the mission, okay? I'll be fine."

"And what if you're not?" Bruce starts to get angrier. 

"Then it's my fault. I take responsibility. I don't know what else to tell you. Look," I check my phone and see a text from Fury, "I've gotta go. Talk to you soon?" 

"Don't go." Bruce says as I walk to the elevator.

"Bruce-"

"Ashlynn-" 

"I'm going. Goodbye Bruce." I half smile as the doors shut, but Bruce doesn't even make eye contact with me. 

Two and a half weeks later, I'm walking back into Stark towers. One sore left arm, cuts and scrapes cover my face, all the way down to my ankles, bruises covering everything else, a torn muscle, and one hell-of-a headache. I slowly ;imp in, surprisingly running into Steve, who's on his way out. We talk for a while, him helping me up to my floor. I come to find out Bruce has been a wreck for the past two weeks. He's hulked out twice, in his cell of course. He hasn't left the lab at all, either. Steve said he took some food down, and would find some things missing, but not fully gone. I sigh as I exit the elevator, shaking my head a bit. Steve says his goodbyes and goes back down. I go and slowly unpack, cringing at every move I make.

After unpacking for half an hour, I ;imp my way to the elevator . As I walk around the corner, I find Bruce standing there, staring at the floor. We stand in silence for a couple minutes, avoiding each others gaze.

"How did you know I was back?" I say dryly, my voice scratchy. 

"Jarvis said something, and I managed to pull myself away for a moment. I had to see for-" He stops when he realizes what has happened, " _Oh my god.."_ he whispers.

"It was all fine, until the very last night of the interrogation. He planted something, but didn't hide it all too well. I found it five minutes before it detonated, but I was still close to the blow. I was thrown on impact, landing on my arm, and receiving all this during it."

"Ashlynn.." Bruce walks up and cups my cheek in his hand, "I'm so sorry." 

"Why?" I whisper, frowning. 

"Before you left, I- I didn't say a thing. You could be dead and-"

"Shut up." I say flatly, "Bruce, I'm not dead, just a little broken. I should be fully healed soon. Don't even-" But I'm cut off by a passionate kiss from Bruce. His hand makes it's way around my head, pushing myself closer to him. I feel my good arm slowly traveling up through his hair. Before long, I break away, slightly panting. I flinch as my arm starts to ache, shooting pain through my body. 

Bruce notices and in an instant, scoops me up, carrying me to the bathroom. He starts running a bath and exits quickly, running somewhere I don't exactly know. He comes back and finds me half covered in bubbles. I notice that he has a sort of box in his hand. Long, sleek, black velvet. He slowly hands it to me, smiling as he does. "Happy three months darling." 

"Is it really April 28th already?" I gasp, staring at the box in awe. "Bruce, you shouldn't have-"

"Nonsense. I needed to make it up somehow, so a little birdy and I went jewelry shopping two weeks ago. Nothing too special."

I smile, slowly opening the box. On the inside sits a small black diamond, surrounded by tiny diamonds. I gasp, tears welling in my eyes. "Bruce, I can't believe this. This is simply amazing! I love you so much."

He smiles and grabs the necklace, slowly sliding it around my neck. He then grabs the shower head and starts washing my hair. Bruce then keeps adding to the scene, lighting candles and turning on some classical music. 

"Tchaikovsky, a bubble bath with romantic candles, this necklace, this is all so perfect. Bruce, I can't even begin to describe-"

"Shush," he laughs, "I don't want to hear it. It's going to take me a while to make it all up to you, so I thought I would just start now. Anyways, besides the horrible accident, what else happened? Or am I not allowed to know?"

"Some you can't know. But I can tell you about the hour and a half of free time I ended up getting, and the party."

"Party?"

"Yes!" I say excitedly, turning to him, "That was one part of the mission I actually, sort of enjoyed. The buyer and seller of the illegal S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons were attending this grand, 18th century style party. Big hair, big dresses, sting instruments everywhere. The three of us had no idea that this party was even planned, so we had to find costumes in under 11 hours. We all managed to find costumes, of course, but it wasn't easy. "

"Is that the big thing laying on the bed?" he asks.

"Sadly, yes. I'm not keeping it, though. I'm going to try to sell it to a shop around here. If not, I'll just donate it somewhere. But it helped me track down who the seller was. By the end, I had taken out the seller, a known criminal within Paris. Four counts of murder, two cases of illegal drug possession, and god knows what else. The buyer, however, was still out there, with a few more of S.H.I.E.L.D.S. things. I was interrogating him when he planted the explosive." 

"Sounds like one hell of a party." Bruce laughs.

"You could say that, I guess." I sigh, slowly sinking into the tub more. I feel the hot water soothing my muscles, letting me move them more freely. 

"How come you don't want to keep the dress?" Bruce starts to massage my shoulders.

"I don't have much of a use for it, really. Unless I saved it for Halloween. Otherwise, I would never wear it." I shrug.

"Damn.."

"You want me to put on the dress, don't you?" 

"Please?" 

"Only if I get to show you what else I managed to get. " I turn to him, smiling. "And,"

"Oh boy," He groans.

"You tell me what you've been so busy with these past two weeks."

"So you heard.." He sighs.

"I did.." I say quietly. We don't talk for a bit, avoiding the one question that needs to be asked. Bruce finishes washing my hair and gets up, leaving the bathroom. I sit in silence as I hear Bruce shuffling around. He walks past a moment later, mumbling something about going to the store. I hear the elevator close, and I'm left to myself. I take another ten minutes to finish relaxing, then get out, dressing in my favorite pajamas. I clean up my room and start working on the rest of the place, dusting, washing dirty clothes. Once I finish cleaning, I make my way down to my music room. I sit and start playing one of my favorite Josh Groban songs, singing softly to myself.  More songs start to flow, and suddenly I feel a presence. I look up and find Bruce leaning on the door way, staring at me. I lock eyes with him as I continue playing, a melody flowing from my finger tips. 

"You look so beautiful when you play."  Bruce sighs quietly, slowly walking to me.

I smile softly and nod, playing the last note of the song. Bruce walks around and kneels next to me, grabbing my hand. I turn to him and smile, placing my free hand on top of his. 

"I know you heard about me hulking out. I promise you, no one got hurt. And if it counts for anything, it was Tony's fault."

"Tony's fault?" I raise a brow, laughing a bit.

"Well, not really, but it's easy to blame him. I'm just glad you weren't around to see it. I can't even think about it." 

"But I've seen you hulk out before-"

"It's different," he sighs, "Now it'a different. Them, you were a mere friend, someone I worked and fought beside. But now it's different. We have a life together now. I would hate to mess it up."

"It's partially my fault to-" I start.

"No, no it's not-"

"Yes Bruce, it is. I didn't listen to you. I wanted to get out and do something, go on a mission and kick ass, take down some bad guys. I wanted to see Paris. But I didn't realize I could do that with you, be happy with what I had. That mission was awesome, but I left knowing what I did, and how I hurt you."

"I was just being selfish. We were having a nice time together and I was just trying to find ways to make you stay." 

"How about we just forget about it altogether. Skip these last two weeks." 

"If that's what it takes. Come on," he quickly kisses my hand and pulls me away, "let's go see that dress."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Fast forward to seven months and it's August. A wonderful summer come and gone, spent working on small inventions, a few missions, and even a couple fights between Bruce and I. But all in all, it's been the best roller coaster of my life. Bruce and I have one of the strongest bonds around, and I couldn't be happier. I plop down in a huff on the couch, closing my eyes. The August heat is slowly getting to me, and I feel more drowsy by the minute. I hear the elevator open up behind me, but I don't bother checking who it is.

"Babe, I'm so fucking hot, I feel like I'm going to drown in my own sweat." I exasperate.

"That's disgusting," a different voice says, making me jump up. I turn and find Tony frowning at me. "Hey sunshine."

"What the hell Tony?" I walk around the couch and stand in front of him, crossing my arms.

"I've brought a gift for you and Bruce. But you can't open it until he comes up from the lab. No peeking at all." Tony shoves an envelope in my hand, slightly crumpling it. I look up and find him smirking at him. "I'm in no use of it, so take it. Happy anniversary." 

Tony turns to the elevator and leaves quickly. I watch as he goes down, smirking at me. I shrug and throw the envelope on the counter, forgetting about it for the next few hours. Bruce comes up as I walk around the floor, cleaning up. 

"Hey babe," I walk up and smile, quickly kissing his lips, "Work hard?"

"As always. Whatcha doing?" He raises a brow.

"I was looking for a dress for tonight, then I started cleaning. But I did fond something. What do you think," I turn and run into the room, grabbing the clothing, "About this?" I hold it over my body, twirling in my spot. 

"Beautiful, absolutely perfect." He grins from ear to ear, his eyes glimmering.  I smile and run back into the room, changing quickly. Bruce walks in, the envelope in hand. He throws it on the bed and starts to put on a nice dress shirt and jacket. I adorn myself with diamond earrings and a necklace, accenting my strapless black dress. I hop on the bed and grab it, smirking.

"What exactly is that?" Bruce glances at me from the mirror, buttoning up his white dress shirt. 

"A present from Tony." I shrug, glancing at the manila paper, "He said I have to open it with you." 

"Then let's open it." He turns around and walks to me, resting his chin on my shoulder. I smile and slowly open it, worry coming over me. My worry vanishes when I pull out two plane tickets. 

"Tickets?" He raises a brow. I start reading the destination and suddenly get excited. 

"Bruce, these are round-trip tickets to Europe. We get to travel Europe." I say quietly, my eyes wide. He slightly inhales as I finish taking. I look up and find him reading the tickets info. 

"We'll start in London, then travel to Ireland, Scotland, Paris, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, and finish off the trip in Russia. 18 days. Two days per city. I can't believe Tony did this for us." Bruce turns to me and grins, kissing my cheek. I lean into him and wrap my arms around his mid section, slightly squeezing. 

"A real vacation for us Bruce. This will be amazing!" I smile. "Come on, let's go eat something and get back. I'm getting tired again." Bruce grabs my hand and leads me to elevator. One romantic dinner and walk in the park later, we find ourselves in front of the tower. We stare up at the huge tower, taking in all its charms. I look over at Bruce, then he looks at me. I smile and walk us into the tower, leading him up to our floor.

"We made it to seven months, baby." Bruce picks me up and swings me around, kissing me all over. I giggle and run my hands through his hair, leaning my forehead against his. He sets me down and stares into my eyes. I lean up and plant my lips on his, moving my hands to his neck. We break each others boundaries and our tongues start exploring, grasping onto every taste we find. His hands start to venture around, exploring hidden ticklish skin and undiscovered sweet spots. I moan into him, pressing my body closer to his. He lifts me up and carries me to the bedroom, softly laying me down. I stop him, placing a hand on his chest. 

"Everything okay?" He raises a brow, asking quietly. 

"I have something else planned before this." I smile lightly, grabbing his hand and walking to the bathroom. "You know, the last time I took a nice, relaxing bath was our three month anniversary." 

"You want me to run you a bath?"

"I want you to join me, Bruce." I look up at him. He smiles and nods. We both turn and start getting things together. I fill the tub with vanilla bubbles and rose petals, asking Jarvis to play a soft playlist. Bruce comes back with chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. We both undress and slowly sink in, sitting across from each other. 

"This is so nice." I sigh, smiling at Bruce. He looks at me and grins, grabbing my hands. 

"I never knew I needed this. This feels amazing." Bruce leans over and kisses my cheek, making me blush. I intertwine my fingers with his and stare into his eyes, lost. He reaches over and grabs a strawberry, slowly bringing it to my lips. I take a seductive bite, closing my eyes as I slightly moan. Bruce chuckles softly, setting the top off to the side. I lean back and close my eyes, slightly humming along to the music.  

_'I've got chills, they're multiplying, and I'm losing control, cause the power, you're supplying, is electrifying..'_

"Who is this?" Bruce asks quietly. 

"So artist named Lo-Fang, covered this song from Grease. I think it's breath takingly beautiful." I shrug. 

_'You better shape up, cause you need, a man, and my heart is set on you, you'd better shape you, you'd better understand, to my heart I must be true..'_

"Oh you're the one, that I want, one that I need.." I sing softly, glancing at Bruce. He grabs my wrists and pulls me to him, my legs wrapping around his waist. 

"I love you so much.." Bruce moans as he kisses my neck. I throw my head back, chills running through my body. I let out a gasp as I feel a slight bite on my collar bone. 

_'If you're feeling, some affection, that's to hard, to convey, take your clothes off, I'll use protection, baby feel my heart break..'_

"Oh God, Bruce." I look down and find him kissing the bite. I can't help but moan as his hand travels to my breast, working it gently in his hand. I move my lips onto his and work my tongue through his mouth. Bruce stops in the middle of it all and steps out, holding his hand out. I slowly take it and step out, water dripping down our bodies. 

"You've got two minutes, then I want you in that bed." Bruce throws on a pair of boxers and starts to clean the bathtub up. I head into the bedroom and change into the most seductive lingerie I can find. Bruce walks in exactly two minutes later, a full bottle of champagne in hand. He takes a swig before walking around to the nightstand, setting it down. 

I watch him with full intent as he climbs over me, his erection growing stronger by the minute. He presses his entire body against mine, lips traveling from my face, to my neck. The black lace that covers me soon finds Bruce's touch. I groan as his hand travels down my panties, fingers brushing over my core. 

"If I hurt you in any way," Bruce whispers, "You tell me to stop. I will go at your pace and yours alone."

I only nod, the words I want to say are lost to thought. My eyes suddenly close as I feel two fingers inside me, hitting every sweet spot. My moans are lost as I start to mumble, dazed. 

"Oh Bruce.  _Fuck ."_  Bruce kisses my neck, his fingers curling inside me. This continues for a while until I feel a sudden emptiness. I open my eyes and see Bruce hovering over me, starting at me anxiously. 

"You okay?" He asks. I nod, out of breath. He smiles and kisses my cheek, exerting a slight laugh from me. Bruce slowly removes the garmets from my body altogether, leaving a cold breeze flowing over my body. I reach up and place my lips on his, slowly putting my hands on his cheeks. He slides his boxers off to reveal a condom covered erection. He hovers at my entrance, kissing me passionately. 

I moan as I feel Bruce enter me, my insides throbbing. He starts slow, making sure I can adjust to him. My hands travels to his back, nails digging into his shoulders. He groans as I do so, thrusting harder into me. We grow louder with every move, letting the empty apartment know what's going on. I feel myself starting to shake, an orgasm on the horizon. With one last perfect thrust, I explode, loudly groaning as I do. 

Bruce collapses next to me, panting loudly. We take a few moments to steady our breathing, regaining full control. I look over and find Bruce staring at me, smiling. I roll over and snuggle into his chest. 

"I love you so much Bruce. More than anything." I say softly. 

"I love you even more Ashlynn. You're my entire world. I couldn't imagine myself without you." Bruce nuzzles his face into my hair. I wrap my arms around his neck, placing light kisses everywhere. 

"I think," I yawn a bit, "I think I'm gonna nap a bit. You've tired me out, doctor Banner."

"Alright sweetheart. Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up." He kisses my temple and starts running his fingers along my back. I drift off to sleep, dreaming of a future with Bruce. I wake up to the blinding sunlight streaming in. I sigh and get up, throwing on one of Bruce's shirts and a clean pair of underwear. I wander out and find Bruce at the stove, cooking up something chocolaty. I sneak up and wrap my arms around his waist, making him jump a bit. 

"Hey babe," I smile, resting my chin on his shoulder. 

"Hey sweetie," Bruce spins around, kissing me quickly, "you look better in that than me." 

"Awe, well thanks," I blush, "whatcha making?" 

"A surprise breakfast in bed for you." 

"But I'm not in-" Bruce scoops me up and returns me to our room, setting me down gently.

"You are now. Wait here." He turns and hurries back to the kitchen. Bruce comes in with a tray of food a few moments later. I beam as he sets down the golden pancakes in front of me, bacon wafting through the room. Bruce and I enjoy a quiet breakfast, laughing and listening to music. Once finished, we clean everything up. I strip the bed and head to the laundry room, quickly getting everything in. A few hours later, I lay on clean sheets, smiling at Bruce. 

"I love seeing you in that shirt," Bruce looks down, slightly blushing, "It looks even better off."

"Mmhm," I crawl over and.lay my head.on Bruce's chest, staring at the ceiling. "Last night was amazing."

"It was all for you sweetheart." Bruce kisses my forehead, "I wouldn't have anyone else."

"Good. I want you all to myself."

Bruce just chuckles and reaches over, grabbing the plane tickets off the night stand. "We leave in two days." 

"Two? Wow. We should start packing soon." I sigh. 

"Yeah, soon." Bruce grabs my side's and pulls me closer to him, planting his lips on mine. 

"Oh doctor Banner, you're something else." 


	6. Chapter 6

"Here we are Bruce, day nine in the city of love!" I say as we walk down the busy Pairs street.

"This is gorgeous. I wish we could've come here sooner." Bruce marvels, staring at the shops as we walk. 

"Oh, il ne aurait pas été aussi spéciale." I smile, kissing his cheek.

"In English this time?" Bruce chuckles, sliding his arm around my waist. 

"I said, it wouldn't have been as special. This trip was graced upon us at the most perfect time. I'm with the perfect man, in the perfect city. There's so much to do these next two days, and we have such little time-"

"Then let's get started." Bruce smiles and drags me away, heading towards the museum. We spend a couple hours drifting about the Louvre, taking pictures of and with the paintings. Next we head to the Arc de Triomphe, watching the bustling city below us. People watch in curiosity as we walk around, whispering small things like " Are those the Avengers?" or younger kids running up and asking Bruce if he's the Hulk. We smile and take pictures, waving at children as they walk past. As the day slowly turns to night, Bruce and I take a boat ride on the river Seine. the Eiffel tower glistens in the background, beckoning us to it.

The night ends with dinner on the second floor of the Eiffel tower. Dozens of families and couples surround us in the busy restaurant. Bruce and I enjoy a slow, quiet meal, taking our time and marveling at the view. 

"This is breath taking.." I sigh, glancing around me.

"I never thought I would do anything anything like this." Bruce says quietly.

"What do you mean?" 

"I never planned to come back to this society. Living in the tower, fighting with the Avengers. I was fully against coming in when Natasha came to me in India. I was just striving for a normal life somewhere nobody knew me." 

I sit quietly, staring at Bruce. He continues to talk, my attention fully placed on him. 

"I stopped caring for myself, gave up on trying to find a cure. I became a physician hoping to help other people, since I couldn't help myself. I had given up." He sighs, shaking his head, "When I had tried to kill myself-" 

"Bruce  _please-"_

"No, Ashlynn, please hear me out." He holds his hand up, quieting me down. I nod, avoiding is gaze. Bruce takes a moment and inhales deeply, closing his eyes as he does. 

"My childhood was the opposite of ideal. The death of my mother is probably when everything had started. We were so close, best friends. But my father didn't like that." Bruce leans back in his chair, "My father killed her, and I was forced to keep quiet. I never had a real relationship with my father prior to or after that. He was an alcoholic, and not only physically, but mentally abusive. He was locked up not to long after. I was alone. Completely and utterly alone. Breezed through school, and moved onto college. There I met Betty, who really helped with everything. I was happy for a while. Then everything went to shit. I destroyed a city, lost Betty, and ultimately gave up on myself. I stuck the gun in my mouth so I would forget all that happened. To be a distant memory to everyone. I had become a monster, ruining everyone's lives."

"Bruce, you are  _not_ a monster. Understand me?" I sit up and lean over the table, placing my hand atop his. He looks up at me and stares, shaking his head. "No, no don't give me that bullshit Bruce. You are nothing close to a monster. The gamma radiation was an accident, not something that could truly be avoided. It sounds stupid when I say this, but this was most likely the work of fate-" 

"Not fate-"

"Your work has been a gift to mankind. You've done so much to help the world, as both Doctor Banner and the Hulk. The bad things that have happened while you were him, well, those don't reflect upon you. You're both two different people. Don't doubt yourself, ever. You're a hero Bruce, my hero. Like I said a while back, it's a package deal with you. I have the hottest boyfriend within the group. He's also the smartest, funniest, craziest, caring, most lovable human being I have ever know, and he just happens to be able to turn into a very strong, very big, and very intimidating person. It is an honor and a privilege to know you and love you, Bruce." 

Bruce just stares at me a moment, mouth slightly agape. He seems to struggle with finding the words to say. Instead, he stands up and walks around the table, kneeling in front of me. I turn to face him, a small smile on my face. 

"I am so thankful to have you in my life Ashlynn, truly. You mean everything to me. I owe so much to you. I don't deserve you or your kind-" Bruce starts, but I cut him off with a kiss, smiling as I do. Bruce gently places his hands on my cheeks, making heat rush to them. I giggle a bit as we pull away, grabbing Bruce's hand. 

"Come on darling, we've got some ore memories to make here." I grab my glass and down the last of the champagne. Thank god this trip was in Tony's name, or we wouldn't have been able to pay for anything. Of course, before we left, he insisted we put everything on his tab, saying it's just part of the gift. Bruce and I ignore most times. Forty five minutes later, Bruce and I walk into out room, hands intertwined. 

We spend the night doing everything else but sleeping. Passionate gestures and words are exchanged, making everything more and more romantic. We finally fall asleep around two, after an hour of after-sex cuddling. We wake up mere hours later, a bright sunlight blinding us awake. We shower, taking our time and enjoy the heat. Breakfast is served, and we eat quickly, excited to get on with out day. We stop by the Palais Garnier, Moulin Rouge, and the Notre Dame cathedral. About halfway through the day, we take a taxi to Versailles, taking a tour of the palace along with the gardens. This lasts us the rest of the day. Tired, we decided to order something and eat it in our room.

Ten days later we're boarding the jet back to New York, exhausted from the last two and a half weeks. Happy comes and picks us up from the airport, making small talk with us. Half an hour later, we pull in front of the tower. We spare Happy the trouble of unloading our things, and head up to our floor.

"God, all those hotels we stayed in makes this place look like some knock-off motel." I sigh, collapsing on our bed.

"The best was either the one in Paris, Ireland, or Italy. Those were breath taking." Bruce slips his shoes off and comes to me, laying next to me. 

"If I remember correctly, those were the ones we had sex in as well." I laugh.

"Exactly." Bruce groans, rolling over and laying his head on my chest. 

Suddenly Jarvis comes on and scares the shit out of us. 

"Doctor Banner, Mr. Stark requests your presence in the lab immediately."

"Really? Can you please tell him I just got back? I need-"

"Doctor, he says it's urgent." Bruce sighs, getting up and walking to the elevator.

"I'll be back Ash." He calls. But that never came. I hung around for twenty four hours, but he still stayed in the lab with Tony. I asked Jarvis if there was any way I could talk to them, or see them, but all I get is a no, and that it is classified work. I just sigh and shake my head. I head down to Natasha's floor and find her in her workout room, beating a punching bag. She notices me in a heart beat and stops, walking over and smiling.  

"Hey Ash," she says quickly, taking a sip of water, "What's up?"

"Just coming by to see you, maybe let off some steam." I shrug, glancing at her.

"Well, my gym is big enough for two, and I'm all ears." Nat sets down her bottle and goes back to the bag. I smile and shrug off my sweater, grabbing a bag of my own. For a good twenty minutes, the only sound is punching. Natasha then suggests a couple rounds of fighting. We head in the ring and duel it out, both of us equally winning. As we fight, I start talking about whats been going on the past day and a half. She doesn't know a thing, of course, and we stop, out of breath. 

"Agent Romanov, Agent Rose, Nick Fury is on the line." Jarvis comes over and tells us. The call connects and Nick starts talking.

"You two are needed in Brazil." He says quickly.

"What's going on in Brazil?" I raise a brow. 

"More weapons have been found in a HYDRA warehouse. There are currently soldiers there. How many, we don't know. I'm send you two, as well as Barton and two other agents, down there to extract the weapons and shut down the facility. I've let Barton and the other two know. You ladies have twenty minutes to get packed and head down to the car. The jet's waiting." Fury hangs up and we dash, making our way to our rooms. I pull out m emergency pack and fill it with the necessary items, barely my having time for anything else. Right as I start to change, I remember Bruce. Quickly pulling my shirt over, I grab a couple stick notes, writing little messages and placing them in random places. While I do, I record  quick message for him, asking Jarvis to play it for him. 

I head down quickly and run out to the car, fining Clint and Natasha packing their things away. I throw my suit case in and check the compartment, finding the necessary guns and knives stashed away. We're at the airport in fifteen minutes, jumping on the jet and going. 

~

 Two days after the departure of Ashlynn, Bruce walks off the elevator, tired and cranky. Without inking, he walks into the bathroom, stripping down and showering. Ten minutes later he steps out and wraps a towel around his waist. He walks to the mirror and stares at himself, noticing the dark circles.  A bright pink notes catches his eye and he turns to it, raising a brow. 

He grabs it and reads it quietly, mouthing it aloud to himself. 

' _if you're reading this, please shower. And if you already have, then perfect. Love you babe. Xxx'_

Bruce shrugs and sets the note down, brushing out his dark curls. While putting on  clean pair of clothes, he notices a neon green note on her makeup table. He walks over and snatches it off, reading it lout loud. 

' _the sheets and pillows have been washed. Try and get some sleep sweetie. Xxx'_

"Ashlynn?" Bruce calls out. Silence fills the void. 

"Ash, where are you?" He walks out to the living room and looks around, finding everything untouched. "Jarvis, where's Ashlynn?"  _  
_

"Miss Rose departed about two days ago. She left a message sir. Would you care to see it?"

"Oh course." He walks to the computer and sits, waiting for it too pull up. A few seconds later, he's staring at her face, sort of. She's there, writing something down, staring down at it.

" _Hey babe. So if you haven't figured out by now, I'm gone. Called on  mission with Nat and Clint." She rips one of the notes up and throws it away. "God damn sticky notes."_

Bruce chuckles at her comment, smiling a bit.

" _look, I know you can take care of yourself, but I'm still gonna worry. I went out shopping last night and stocked the fridge, and even bought your favorite cookies." She looks up and smiles at the camera, her eyes glittering._

_"I love you Bruce. So much. I'll see you soon. Oh, and don't work too hard."_

Bruce smiles as the video closes, Ashlynn's smile burned into his memory. He sighs and gets up, walking down to the room. 

~

Three and a half days later, the five of us land back in New York, tanned and bruised. Clint, Nat, and I head back to the tower, slowly falling asleep during the car ride. 

"God damn, I thought that mission would never end." I sigh, rubbing my hands over my eyes. 

"Yeah, I think we all thought that." Clint chuckles. 

"I'm just ready to finally sleep in my own bed. I've spent too much time out of the U.S. this month." I say as we pull up in front of the tower. 

We hop out and grab our bags, heading into the tower. We get off at our floors , exchanging goodbyes. 

I exit to my floor and walk down to my room, finding Bruce lying face down, sprawled out. I giggle a bit and slowly crawl onto the bed, a giant grin on my face. Bruce lightly snores, his mouth slightly ajar. As I'm moving, I feel a hand grab my waist. In a quick flurry, I'm thrown down, Bruce towering over me. 

"Bruce!" I gasp, my eyes open wide.

"Hey babe," he leans down and starts kissing my neck, his hands holding my wrists near my head, "I missed you."

"Mm.." I mumble, smiling, "I missed you too."

"I heard you come in. You know, you're very loud sometimes." He chuckles. 

"Really? I'm sorry babe." I sigh, leaning up and kissing his cheek. 

"Its okay," he grins, "I'm glad you did." Bruce rolls off and lays next to me, sighing. "I've been sleeping for a few hours, needed to get up." 

"Are you going back down to the lab?" I ask quietly. 

"I need to, yeah," he sighs, " But I think my girlfriend is tired, and I think I should nap with her."

"You think?" I laugh, crawling to a pillow and laying down. Bruce joins me a moment later, his arms around me. The silence in the room makes me drowsy, and I fall asleep quickly. 


	7. Chapter 7

_"Agent Romanoff, Agent Rose, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-" Fury starts._

_"Back where? You rented my room." Bruce says shortly._

_"The cell was built-" But Bruce cuts him off._

_"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know! I tried, I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out! So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!"_

_We all stare at him, our hearts pounding. I feel tears pricking my eyes, but I quickly wipe them away._

_"You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" Nat and Fury pull their guns out, aiming them at the floor._

_"Bruce.." I mumble, eyes wide. He looks at me, a questioning look on his face._

_"Doctor Banner, put down the scepter." Steve says, his voice monotone. I take a step towards him, placing my hand on his arm. He quickly looks down in disbelief, staring at it. Suddenly the computer beeps, and we all snap our heads toward it._

_"Got it." Tony says quickly._

_"Sorry kids, you don't get to see my little party trick after all." Bruce chuckles, setting the scepter down._

_Everything goes black for a moment. I can feel myself falling, falling fast. Then I'm staring up at a hole in the ceiling, wires and metal hanging from every which way. I look over and find Bruce laying face down, groaning in pain. I can here Natasha mumbling something into her earpiece, but I cant fully make it out._

_"Bruce.." I gasp, calling out to him. It sends pain throughout my body, making me flinch. I look down and find my leg cut open, blood slowly gushing out. Bruce groans louder, anger filling his voice._

_"Doctor Banner... Bruce, you gotta fight it. This is just what Loki wants. We're gonna be okay, listen to me," Natasha flags a couple of workers away, "We're gonna be okay, right? I swear on my life I will get you out of this! You will walk away, and never-"_

_"YOUR LIFE?" Bruce starts to get up, clothes ripping. Suddenly he's turning into the Hulk. I look over at Natasha and see fear in her eyes. I manage to limp over to her, trying to help her get the large pipe off her leg. We both look at Bruce and find him, big and green, staring at us._

_"Bruce!" I cry out, pain overcoming me. He roars, and starts coming at us, just as we get Nat's leg unstuck._

_~_

I sit up in bed, gasping for air. I can feel the beads of sweat running down my body, giving me the feeling of drowning. I feel movement and look over, finding Bruce staring at me. 

"What's wrong?" he mumbles sleepily.

"Just a dream darling, go back to sleep." I smile softly, leaning over and kissing his head. I slowly lay down and snuggle close to him, wrapping my arm around his waist. His hand comes up and cups my cheek, thumb slowly gliding across it. 

I try all I can to clear my mind, but the memory burns bright, replaying over and over in my head. After what seems like hours, I fall back asleep. 

~

_"Doctor Banner," I smile as I walk into the lab, "How're you doing?"_

_Bruce looks up and gazes at me, lips thin. He nods in my direction, then looks back down. "I'm good Agent Rose. How are you?"_

_"I'm good as well." I nod, walking over and pulling a stool over by him._

_"Fury send you?" Bruce asks quietly._

_"Nope." I shake my head, "I'm here on my own accord. You seemed lonely, and I was lonely, so I thought I would fix that."_

_"Well Agent, that's kind of you, but I prefer being alone." Bruce glances over, a fake smile evident._

_"Oh." I say shortly, standing up, "I'll just leave then.."_

_"You can stay though, I mean, I wouldn't mind you being here. It's okay-" Bruce starts rambling. I smile and walk back over, sitting down._

_He nods and goes back to work, staring at the computer screen in front of him. "What exactly is it you're doing?"_

_"Tracking gamma rays, trying to find the tesseract. This thing emits rays, and by placing spectrometers on the roofs of different laboratories around the world, I can use the tracking device within it to find any gamma rays within the area, ultimately leading us to the damn thing."_

_I look between him and the computer, processing everything. "How would you know the difference between the tesseract and a lightning strike? Does the tesseract have a higher radiation rate than a regular ray?"_

_Bruce stares at me a moment, astonished. "Uh- um, we were just planning on checking cell phone and cramers records. But uh, yes, the energy level is higher, makes it easier to distinguish what it is."_

_"Hm." I nod, looking at the screen, "Very interesting Doctor."_

_"Bruce." he says out of nowhere. I glance over and find him twiddling wih somethithen the screen. "Call me Bruce."_

_"Alright, Bruce." I nod, a smile on my face._

_We sit in silence for a few moments, an awkwardness looming over us. Bruce begins another conversation minutes later._

_"Whats your first name, agent?"_

_"Ashlynn.." I say quietly, staring out the windows in front of us._

_"Ashlynn," he nods, "Pretty name."_

_"Thank you." I smile, looking over at him. He's already staring though, a large grin on his face._

_I blush, looking away._

_"Listen, Ashlynn, if you're ever-" Bruce starts, but Tony walks in, making us look at him._

_"Am I interrupting something?" Tony raises a brow._

_"No Tony, I was just leaving." I smile and stand up, nodding at the both of them. I feel Bruce's eyes in me as I exit, the blush returning._

_~_

The sunlight pours in, slowly waking me up. I glance at the clock and read the time, sighing at its earliness. 

"Good morning sunshine." I hear Bruce murmur. I glance over and find him squinting at me, a small smile appearing on his face. I smile and lean over, lightly kissing his lips. He chuckles in return, sliding his arm around my waist. 

"Sleep well?" I ask quietly. 

"Of course. You?" 

"It was okay. Just a lot of dreaming." I sigh. 

"What happened last night? Nightmare?" Bruce props himself on one arm, resting his head in hand. 

"I was dreaming about you." I smile, copying him. 

"You woke up covered in sweat. I could hear your heart pounding." 

"Oh," I huff, "That."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." he shakes his head. 

"No, it's fine. It was just around the time we first met, on the helicarrier. When you-"

"Hulked out." Bruce cuts me off. I look over at him, mouth slightly ajar. 

"Yeah.." I say quietly. He sighs and grabs me, pulling me into his chest. 

"You and Natasha, I never meant to hurt you two. I promise you, that will never happen again."

I smile, softly kissing his jaw. "I know Bruce. It was such a long time ago, I've all but forgotten about it."

"I love you so much. Never forget that, please." He kisses my neck, chills running through my body. 

"Mm.." I laugh lightly, "You know what else I won't forget?"

"Hm?" He mumbles into my shoulder. 

"Your birthday on Thursday." 

He groans into the pillow, slowly sliding off the bed. I laugh as he hits the floor, still groaning. 

"December 18th, 1969, Robert Bruce Banner was born into this world-"

"It's only the thirteenth, no need to jump days." he huffs. 

"Oh doctor," I stick my head off the side, grinning at him, "I must. You turn 45, that's a big cause for celebration." 

"You know, by my birthday, we're ten days from eleven months." Bruce grins, cracking an eye open. 

I gasp, my eyes widening. "Just in time for Christmas and New Years!"

"Oh boy.." Bruce chuckles, "What have I done?" 

"Oh Bruce, this is perfect! You know how much I love Christmas! I have so much baking and decorating to do. I told the group I would have the party on our floor-"

"Come on you," Bruce picks me up and throws me over his shoulder, "Shower time." We take our time, enjoying the warmth, among other things. After we finish getting ready, I head to the kitchen and start getting my things together. I planned to bake all day, but Bruce seems to have other ideas.

"Come on babe, we can go watch one of your favorite Christmas movies. I'll make hot chocolate." He wraps his arms around my waist as I stand by the stove, looking in the cupboard above for the vanilla.

"Bruce, sweetheart," I turn to him, "I know that you want to spend all week in bed, trying to make me forget about your birthday and Christmas, but I need to bake."

He groans, stepping away and walking around the counter, sitting at the stool across from me. I turn around and find him staring at me with his big brown eyes. I sigh and set the bowl down, putting a hand on my hip. 

"If I were to go lay in bed with you today, will you help bake later this week?" I raise a brow, smirking at him. He smiles and nods, slowly getting up and walking around the counter. He quickly grabs me by my waist and pulls me towards the movie room. The day is perfectly wasted watching movies and drinking hot cocoa. The week quickly goes by, and suddenly it's Bruce's birthday. Thankfully after breakfast, he slips down to the lab for a bit. I take the day to bake a cake, decorating it with cute fondant letters that spell 'Happy Birthday Nerd' written across it. I smirk and cover, setting it off to the side until. 

 I start working on dinner a while later, cooking up Bruce's favorite. By seven o'clock, he's back upstairs. Hair messy, glasses on, untucked navy blue dress shirt, my favorite look on Bruce. I finish slipping on my heels and walk out, finding him staring at the table. 

"All for me?" He smiles as I stand next to him, coming to eye level in these shoes. 

"Your favorite." I smile, kissing his cheek. He looks over, wrapping his arm around my waist. I sigh and lean my head on his shoulder, giggling a bit. 

"Come on, lets eat." We sit down and eat, enjoying the music and food. As the night comes to a close, Bruce gets quiet, staring at me. I stare back, softly smiling. I reach across and grab his hand, rubbing my thumb across the back of it. 

"Tony's planning on taking us our for dinner tomorrow night." I half smile at him. He just nods. 

"You okay sweetie?" I ask quietly, leaning in closer to him.

"Perfect, honestly," He sighs contently, "These past eleven months have been the best of my life. We've been through so many things together, good and bad, and they've shaped me into the person sitting in front of you. I owe everything to you now. I love you Ashlynn., with all I can muster inside me. Will you, uh," Bruce stumbles around his words. Suddenly he pulls a little black box out of his pocket, my eyes getting wide. I smile as he comes around, going down on one knee. "Will you make me the happiest man on earth, and become my wife?" 

"I- Bruce, I- yes!' I gasp, nodding eagerly. I feel tears coming to to my eyes as Bruce takes a moment to realize what I said. We both burst into a small fit of giggles as he slides the small but elegant engagement ring on my finger. A small round diamond, with tiny diamonds around the band. The second he puts it on, I grab his face and plant my lips on his, smiling and laughing as I do. "I love you so much Bruce. More than anything." 

Bruce and I quickly clean everything up, talking on and on about our future wedding. 

"What about September or October? On a nice fall day, sun shining bright, surrounded by close family and friends." I sigh happily, wet dishes in my hand. Bruce comes up and chuckles, sliding his arm around my waist. 

"I don't care, as long as we end up married in the end." 

"Oh, I'm glad you said that. We can get married underwater then, surrounded by the coral reef and exotic fish." I smirk, laughing.

"No." He says flatly. 

"Good. I was just kidding." I turn and kiss his nose, laughing even more.

"Come on, wise guy, it's time to relax." Bruce leads me away to the bathroom, drawing a bath. We spend the next hour reminiscing about the past eleven months, laughing a bit, crying a bit. Remembering the random moments in between. Before we know it, we're turning pruny-like, so we quickly get out, changing into our warmest pajamas. The night ends on a good note, meaning cuddling and non-stop giggles, exhaustion evident in my voice.   


	8. Chapter 8

Bruce and I have made it. Four days from one year, without major incident. It's more happiness than I could have ever bargained for. Every one has slowly found out about the engagement, congratulating us constantly. I smile and blush every time, rolling my eyes at the gesture. Bruce finds it absolutely adorable each time I do, trying to get me to smile and blush all the time.

"You know, I don't need them saying something to get me to blush." I say one day as we get on the elevator, heading down to the  main floor.

 "No?" Bruce looks over, a questionable look on his face. I laugh and shake my head, walking over and standing in front of him. I smirk as I plant my lips on his, running my hand through his hair. He back up and hits the wall of the elevator, both hands finding my waist. 

"Oh, ew, not in my elevator please. I use that." We hear Tony come over the system, making us both laugh. 

We've had many more like that since then, just adding to the list of things we have done in that elevator. Tony comes to me one day, explaining to me the idea he had for my birthday party. The one he had planned for me. I tell him repeatedly that a party isn't necessary. I come to find out that it's at the same venue as last year, but will have better security. The theme has been made a simple black and white. At some point, Bruce and I head out to the town, shopping around for new clothing. We head into a duel store, carrying both dresses and tuxes. After an hour and a half of trying on different dresses and suits, we're about to give up. The sales clerk comes in at the last moment, holing a garment bag for Bruce.He nods and takes it, smiling a bit. I walk off as he changes, looking through the rest of the dresses. One catches my eye and I nab it, hurrying to a changing room. 

I hear Bruce come out a few moments later, asking for me.

"One minute Bruce." I call out, slipping the dress on. A simple black satin dress, ball gown like. Capped sleeves and a corset type back. I walk out a moment later, finding Bruce staring into a mirror. I slowly walk up behind him, softly smiling. It takes him a minute to notice , but the second he does, he gasps and turns to me, eyes raking my body. I grin wide as he grabs my hand, twirling me in place. 

"That's gorgeous," He smiles, leaning down and sweetly kissing me. "I could see you wearing this." 

"I can too." 

We quickly undress and pay for our items, lugging them to a nearby taxi. 

The night of the party rolls around quicker than anticipated. It feels like deja-vu as I step off the elevator. For a split second, I look up and see Jameson smiling down at me. I blink and then Bruce is staring a me, a worried look on his face. I smile and place a hand on his arm, silently letting him know I'm alright. The night seems to go on without incident, keeping me calm most the time. At some point, I drag myself away from Bruce, going to the bar for a drink. I set myself towards the middle, a couple seats away from a shaggy haired man I've never met, nor seen. The waiter brings me a drink, wishing me a happy birthday as he does. I smile and turn to the crowd, watching them dance around. 

"Happy Birthday Ashlynn." A groggy voice calls out. My eyes as I turn to face the voice. I see Jameson sitting there, smirking at me. I gasp and back away, dropping my drink on the bar. 

"No, no what the _fuck_ are you doing here?" I feel tears coming to my eyes, my chest heaving. 

He gets up and walks close to me, still smirking. His hand comes to my face, thumb sliding across my cheek. "I came to see my beautiful darl-" I smack his hand away. He frowns in return, a glare coming to his eyes. "Don't you fucking  _dare_ smack my hand away-"

"You're not supposed to be here. You need to leave right now-" But he stops me, puling a handgun out of his jacket pocket. My eyes widen as I think of a plan to get the gun from him.

"Don't even try, sweetheart. I'll shoot your little boyfriend over there, or any of those other freaks. You are mine. Rightfully mine, and seeing him with you these past 12 months have down right driven me insane. I can't stop thinking about you and your-"

I turn away, walking towards the security guard by the elevator. I glance back and see him walking to the center of the floor, a smirk on his face. He starts clapping,  making everyone stop and look at him. "You need to get him out of here right now. Its him, the man I have a restraining order against." They start advancing on him, but he makes everything stop the second he pulls out the gun. Everyone moves away, backing towards the wall. I find the group staring at him. Tony looks at me, a questioning look on his face. I see him motion to the window, suggesting the suit. I shake my head, mouthing ' _let me take care of this.'_

"Oh Ashlynn, you think you're going to win. Think you're gonna be able to keep me away. Nope, sorry sweetheart. I had you first, I got claim." He chuckles, slowly waving the gun around.

"You don't fucking own me." I say sternly. I glance over and find Bruce watching us, mostly staring at me. I slowly walk around him, eyeing him. "You need to leave." 

"I'm not leaving." He shakes his head, looking at the floor. "Ashlynn, you have no idea how long I've waited for this.:

"For what?" I say as I stop by Bruce, slowly backing up to him. He grabs my waist the second I'm close enough and pulls me to him .I glance up and see anger destroying his calm composure. 

"To tell you how much I love you, Ashlynn. How much I think about you, about us. I've changed, for the better, for you. I got better so I could be with you and have you all for myself. I want you Ashlynn, all for myself. I'll do anything to have you."

"I'm with someone else, I'm engaged. You beat me, you physically and mentally abused me to a point where I thought you we're doing it because you loved me. But no. You're incapable of love, or feelings. You need help."

"So what? Now, you're engaged to that big ugly _monster_?" He scoffs, shaking his head. I feel Bruce start to move forward, but I place a hand in his, gabbing onto it. His shaking slowly starts to calm, but I can still feel the anger.

"He is not a monster. He's twice the man you'll ever be. If anything, you're the monster. Now, leave. I'm not going to tell you again."

"Twice the man I'll ever be, yeah, okay. You're sorta right there. Half man, half monster. The monster just makes him a larger man." He chuckles at his own stupidity. I roll my eyes, sighing. "He doesn't deserve you Ash. He can't offer you the love and wealth and protection he can. It's so easy to just walk away from him. Please, leave the science experiment and come to someone who actually loves you."  Bruce finally pushes past me, walking briskly towards him. I see his fists clenched, my eyes widening. I feel a presence behind me, and see Tony, Clint, Natasha, and Steve all watching Bruce. 

"Hey, shitface, it's time to go." But Bruce stops as he holds the gun up, aiming at his chest. I can see Bruce slowly starting to turn green, anxiety coming over me.

"Bruce!" I gasp as I run forward, grabbing his arm. He turns and looks at me, brown eyes glistening.

"Oh look, he's getting angry!" Jameson laughs and backs away, clutching his stomach in exaggeration. "Come on,  _Bruce,_ show us your cool trick." 

"Knock it off," I say, pulling Bruce away, "Get him out of here." The two security guards run forward and tackle him. "No more parties." I shake my head at Tony, who just nods, wide eyed. The rest of the group watches as I walk Bruce to the elevator and get him in, my hand never leaving his back. Bruce walks to the corner and crouches, hands holding the back of his head. My hand leaves his back, giving him some space. The elevator reaches the ground floor and I grab Bruce's hand, leading him out. We walk down the grand staircase to the front door, going out. We stand at the entrance a moment, watching the passing traffic. I watch as the police pull up. An officer gets out, walking straight to me.

"Are you the one that placed the call?" She asks.

"No, but I was there. We both were." I gesture between me and Bruce, who is leaning against the wall, rubbing his wrists.

"He okay?"

"Just an anxiety attack. We came down to cool off." She nods at me, then walks into the building, following a couple other officers. I turn and walk to Bruce, staring at him intently.

"Ready to go home?" I ask quietly. He looks up at me, eyes blank. I grab his hand and start walking around the building. As we approach the car, Bruce stops me. I turn and look at him, confused. 

"I love you, Ashlynn." He whispers. I softly smile, leaning up and kissing his cheek. 

Once we're back on our floor, I walk to the living room, standing awkwardly. Bruce slowly follows, stopping by the couch. I stand there and look at him, tears pricking my eyes.

"I'm here if you want to talk Bruce." I nod, staring at the floor. I watch him from the corner of my eye. Shaking my head, I start walking towards our room. 

"He was right," Bruce calls out, making me stop. I turn and look at him, mouth slightly agape, "What he said was true."

"No, Bruce,  _no._ " I walk to him, getting close to his face, "You're not going to say that ever. He's a lunatic, fucking crazy. He needs help." Tears slowly start to fall.

"Why do you love me?" Bruce whispers.

"Because you are the most human person I have ever met. Truthful and honest, kind, caring. You unlike any other person I've every met," I smile, wiping a few tears away, "I could't imagine what my life would've been like if you hadn't saved me last year. I owe everything to you."

His hand comes to my face, wiping the face dry of all tears. Then his lips are on mine, hands going to cup my cheeks. We break away and I lean my head into his chest, balling my eyes out. His hand comes around to my back, softly rubbing it. I hear him whispering something, but I can't figure out what it is. I take a deep breath and look up, meeting his gaze.

"I'm so sorry. So, so sorry." We slowly go to the floor in a heap, my tears soaking his shirt. 

We sit in the middle of the floor for a while, silence overcoming us. After a while, I calm down, slowly breathing. "Happy one year darling." I whisper, looking up at him. He looks down and half smiles, slightly shaking his head. 

"Happy one year sweet heart." 


	9. Chapter 9

"Bruce!" I whine as I walk into the lab, a pout evident on my face. Bruce turns around and looks at me, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. A white lab coat accents his outfit, making the dark colors pop. 

"What's up Ash?" Bruce asks as he turns back to the table. I walk up and pull a stool over, watching him. He glances at me, then goes back to work. 

"I don't know. Bored, I guess." 

"Well I'm not much for curing boredness. Sorry sweets." Bruce shrugs, moving to a microscope. We sit in silence for a while, me just watching him. A thought suddenly comes to mind, and I sit up, smirking at Bruce. 

"Tomorrows Valentine's day Bruce." 

"You are correct Ashlynn." 

"Do you have work tomorrow?" 

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's important."

"More important than me?" I ask sadly, a whine in my tone. Bruce looks over, mouth agape. 

"Did you really-"

"It's an honest question!" My eyes widen, head shaking. 

Instead of answering, Bruce grabs my face, planting his lips on mine. We seperate a moment later, Bruce frowning. 

"Shut up." He says, "I don't ever want to hear you say that."

"Sorry." I shrug, "Just wanted to see if you were paying attention."

"Really?" 

"Really really!" I smile cheekily, "But I am truly sorry. I know works important to you, just as mine is to me." 

"Okay." Bruce kisses my forehead, "Now get outta here. I've gotta finish this up before tomorrow night."

"Mm. Can't wait." I smile as I walk out. Bruce spends the next 28 hours in the lab, not coming out until 6 that evening. Bruce comes up, looking tired as hell. He showers and puts on a new set of clothes. He smiles as he walks in our room, watching me as I put my earrings in. 

"Dressed up for me?" Bruce asks, walking towards me.

"You? Nah." I smirk, standing and walking past him, "This is for the pizza delivery guy. He's bringing me a heart shaped pizza." 

"Oh really?'" Bruce turns and grabs my waist, pulling me back. I laugh as he picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder. He walks to the bed and drops me, making me bounce as I land. "I've got a surprise for you, but you're gonna need to pack a suitcase. For the next seven days."

"Oh, interesting. Guess I won't know where until we get there, right?" I ask as I jump down, crouching under the bed to grab two small suitcases. 

"You are correct, my dear." he nods. With that, we start going to work, putting in necessary items for the trip. I watch as Bruce opens one of the drawers and pulls out our passports. I shrug, going back to the task at hand. An hour later, we're stepping off the elevator, hand in hand. We hop in Bruce's car and start heading west. Along the way, we stop in a little village, pulling in front of a little Italian restaurant. 

"This is surprise, Doctor Banner. How'd you find this?" I smile as we walk in.

"I've been here a time or two, just while I took a little time off. They're really sweet, down to earth people." Bruce nods as we walk in. A small elderly couple greets us as the door closes, smiling big.

"Oh, Bruce! It's been so long!" The woman says in a thick Italian accent, waling up to him.

"Good evening Mrs. Manocchio, Mr. Manocchio. How are you two doing?" Bruce smiles, nodding at them. 

"We've been very good, very busy. Oh, is this the pretty girl you talked about last time you were here?" The man, Mr. Manocchio, asks, smirking at Bruce. My mouth drops as I throw a hand over it, sustaining a giggle. 

Bruce laughs, looking down at the floor. I see a blush creep on his face, making me giggle even more. "Yes, Mr. Manocchio." Bruce mumbles. The couple just nods and grabs a couple menus, taking us to a table. Mrs. Manocchio seats us as her husband brings us a bottle of wine. 

"So," I say a few minutes later, "A time or two?" 

Bruce just laughs, shaking his head. "Wanna get a pizza?" 

"Oh, changing the subject I see. Hm." I glance at the menu, "Sure. I don't care what toppings." 

After the food is ordered and the drinks are poured, Bruce and I sit in silence, listening to the soft sound of other people chatting, and the even softer music playing above our heads. I lean back in mu chair, eyes trained on Bruce. He mimic's my movements, also watching me.

"I'll be Mrs. Banner soon." I say quietly, smiling at Bruce. He smiles in return, grabbing his glass and taking a few sips.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

The food comes and we eat the heart shaped pizza slowly, savoring each bite. At some point we finish, and pay our bill. Once in the car, we start driving towards our destination. I end up falling asleep on Bruce's shoulder, his hand on my thigh. When he wakes me, he tells me we've arrived. I open my eyes and find myself staring at a small cabin in front of a lake. Bruce jumps out and grabs the bags, heading inside. I slowly get up and follow him, rubbing the sleep off my eyes.

"Bruce, this is amazing." I say as I close the door behind me, gawking at the sight. He walks out of a nearby bedroom and walks to the fireplace, starting a small fire. Bruce then turns to me, a small smile appearing. He stops for a moment and walks past me, plugging his phone into something. A few moments later soft piano music is playing through the house. He grabs my hand and leads me to the center of the room, swaying around. 

I smile and lean my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. We dance around for a while, song after song playing. The night ends as Bruce and I make our way to the bedroom. For a while, it's simply blissful. It feels as though Bruce and I are the only two people in the world. After the nightly activities end, Bruce and I cuddle for a while, the smell of ash wafting through the little cabin. 

"You already get a dress?" Bruce asks. I nod, mumbling a 'yes' into his chest. 

"Everything is set with the church, photographer, caterer, reception, and the invitations." I sigh, propping up on my elbow, "We need to go cake tasting once we get back as well. Flowers will need to be ordered, you boys will need to try on suits, and we need to make a playlist."

"Gotcha." Bruce nods, looking determined, "Who's all coming?"

"Lets see. Tony, Pepper, Natasha, Clint, Steve, Thor, Rhodey, My bother and sister, Jane and Darcy, Erik Selvig-"

"Erik's coming?" Bruce's eyes go wide.

"Mmhm," I nod, smiling, "Plus about ten or so other close friends of ours." 

"What a small wedding. I love it." Bruce leans over and kisses me. I giggle a bit and lay back down, facing him. He stares at me for a while, playing with my hair. At some point I grab his hand and intertwine it with mine. The rest of the week is spent relaxing and working on wedding arrangements. At some point, Bruce and I start talking about my childhood. 

 "He was abusive?" Bruce asks quietly.

"Yeah,and an alcoholic. Marcus was 17, Val was 8. I was only 14, freshman year of high school. That's when the fighting stopped and mom left, leaving us in that hell."

"That's horrible.."

"After Marcus graduated and left for college, he decided to aim everything at me. The second I turned 18, I took Val out of there and left her with my grandmother. She passed about three years ago. 31 years I've spent on this earth, and my experiences at home taught me more about life than school or any other person could." I shake my head, old memories drifting through my head.

As the week comes to a close, Bruce and I start to clean up the cabin. I ask about it's beginnings and learn Bruce built it himself, it's sole purpose was to help Bruce with the Hulk. It's had other's inhabiting it since, but it's been empty for a while now.

The drive home seems to take longer than the drive there, and every second makes me dread what's to come. More work on the wedding, which is still about five months away. As we pull into the garage, I turn to Bruce, a pout coming on my face.

"I know, I know, it'll all be over soon. Come on." We get out and walk to the elevator, a slight frown on my face. Bruce watches me thoughtfully, slightly amused. 

"Can I help you with something Doctor?" I ask playfully, smirking. 

"You're cute when you're upset." He says simply. I roll my eyes and look forward, watching the doors. They open to our floor and we step out, exhaustion coming over me. For the next few hours, I nap, my head resting on Bruce's chest. When I wake, I find Bruce is gone, slipped down to the lab. A shower wakes me up, relaxing my tense muscles. 

"Five months," I mumble to myself, "Five months. You got this."

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here ends the first story. Honestly, this was something I pulled out of my ass one day, so it might not seem like Bruce would do any of this, but it's nice to imagine, right? Anyways, my inspiration for this last chapter came from Taylor Swift's 'Safe and Sound', with The Civil Wars. It's dark and haunting, and exactly how I wanted to end this story. So, here ya go.

"Remember when we met Bruce?" I ask him, running my hand through his hair. It's been three days since we came back from the mission, all six of us. We managed to destroy a HYDRA facility and get back Loki's scepter. Bruce has been working with Tony for the past couple days, but I managed to get him up here for a couple hours last night. 

"Wasn't it in India?" He raises a brow. 

"Mmhm," I nod, "I came with Nat to recruit you for the mission."

"Is that what you call recruiting?" Bruce laughs.

"Yes, sweetheart, it is." I smile in response.

"Hm. Well, what about it?" 

"I don't really know. Just thinking about it. Thinking about a lot, actually." I shrug, glancing out the window. A soft rain is falling, echoing through the room. 

Bruce doesn't respond. We sit in silence for a while, the rain making the only noise throughout. I glance at the clock, a dark 6:48 looking at me. I sigh and shake my head, slowly sitting up. 

"You okay?" Bruce asks quietly. 

"I'm gonna go take something for my head. It's been hurting for days." I say quickly, getting up and walking to the bathroom. I down a couple pills and walk back, finding Bruce leaning against the headboard. I stop at the doorway, leaning against it. 

"It's already May," I say, looking to the window, "July 9th suddenly isn't too far away now."

"You're right," Bruce groans, "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I." I walk slowly to the bed, climbing onto it. I join Bruce, and lean myself against the headboard as well. My head slowly starts to calm itself, the pills kicking in quickly. 

So much has happened since Bruce and I started dating. S.H.I.E.L.D. falling, Fury 'dying', an engagement, missions galore, things we would have never expected to happen. We've grown closer than ever, and have created such a bond between us, it's almost like we're one person at certain times. But there are many times Bruce and I show signs of difference. 

He still works endless hours in the lab, especially when Tony is with him. When he finally does come up to the floor, he's cranky, even pissed. It would take days for him to finally come around to his normal self. I learned to just give him the space he needs, doing what I can to help. I've had missions like those too, coming home from some exotic country all flustered and angry. 

But that's how Bruce and I work. We balance each other out, making everything equal. We were almost like a skeleton equation, just waiting to be balanced. 

"Tony's having the get together tonight." Bruce comments, pulling me from my thoughts. I internally groan, rolling my eyes. 

"We have to go?" I frown, staring out the window. 

"Kinda, yeah. He's letting us live here. It's the least we can do Ash." Bruce sighs. 

"I just- I don't know. I have a bad feeling about tonight. Like something's gonna happen." I look over at him. His face twists into confusion, a brow raised. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bruce's voice fluctuates. 

"Like I said, I don't know. My stomach turns just thinking about it." I close my eyes, shaking my head. I feel the cool air nip my skin, so I reach down and grab Bruce's dress shirt, slipping it over my garments. 

"What's been going on lately? You don't seem yourself." 

"The headaches, my hands constantly hurting and shaking, I don't know," the rain starts harder, the sky seeming to go darker, "I went to the doctors last week. They found nothing weird, or really anything at all. It might just be stress."

"Possibly. It's crunch time for this wedding-" 

"When you say wedding, pain shoots through my head." I groan, hands coming to my temples. Bruce chuckles and slides his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. I sigh and lean closer into his chest, smiling at the warmth. 

"Why don't you try resting a bit. I can wake you up in a few hours, check on you." Bruce suggests, kissing the top of my head. I just nod and slide under the covers, resting my head on the pillow. The rain outside soon puts me to sleep, making my dreams filled with the noise. The next time I wake up, it's almost noon. Bruce is standing over me, his hand on my forehead. 

"You're burning up." He says as he pulls his hand away, pushing his glasses up. 

I shrug the covers off and sit up, pulling my knees to my chest. "It's pretty warm in here." I comment. Bruce nods and turns to the nightstand, grabbing something. I see a tall glass of milk in his hand and I eagerly grab it, smiling. The cool liquid runs down my throat, sending chills through my body. "Oh, that was amazing."

"Thought you might enjoy that. I also," Bruce turns around and grabs a plate, setting it down in front of me, "brought buttered toast, vanilla yogurt, and fresh strawberries. And afterwords, I thought a nice bath would calm your nerves." 

"This is perfect. Thank you Bruce." I smile and lean over, softly kissing him. I glance out the window and see the sky is even darker, buckets of rain falling down. I slowly eat my meal, then make my way to the bathroom, finding a warm bubble bath already drawn. I undress and slide in, feeling my muscles relax. Bruce walks in a moment later and sits behind me, grabbing the shower head. 

"Don't you wanna join me?" I ask, looking up and smirking. Bruce chuckles, shaking his head. 

"I do, but this is for you. Another night darling." Bruce starts washing my hair, massaging the shampoo into my hair. Once he finishes, I turn to him, bringing my knees to my chest. I feel my heart race for a moment, causing me to start shaking. Slowly, I start to feel drowsy, my eyes closing. They snap open at the last second, making me jump a bit. 

"I think I have a nice dress for tonight " I say, looking up at him. He nods, leaning back and pushing his glasses up. I smile and shake my head, laughing a bit. 

"What?" He scrunches his nose, frowning. I grin wider and laugh more. 

"You're just super cute. I thought I should let you know." 

Bruce's eyes widen, and he shakes his head as well. "My fiancee might not like you saying that."

"Oh really?" I smirk, "Would she be upset if I were to kiss you?" 

"I know I wouldn't." Bruce smiles. I lean forward and kiss him, giggling as I do. A sudden clap of thunder makes me jump, and my head snaps towards the window.  Bruce and I sigh, watching the rain fall. We spend the next twenty-five minutes sitting quietly, watching either each other or the rain.

I feel Bruce's fingertips graze my shoulder, chills zooming through my body. I turn my head and look at him, gazing thoughtfully at him. 

"I promise, I'll never hurt you." Bruce whispers, caressing my cheek. 

I smile, nodding. I feel tears come to my eyes as I start to think of what could possibly happen. Bruce frowns and leans forward, watching me.

"What's wrong?" He asks. 

I laugh, shaking my head. "I'm just afraid." 

"Of what?"

"Losing you." I snifle, glancing out the window. Another crash of thunder rattles the window, sending ripples through the bubble-less water. I bring my knees to my chest and leans on then, sighing. 

"You'll never lose me. I will never let you go. I love you too much to ever let something like that happen." I look up and see bruce half smiling, slight tears in his eyes. I place my hand on his, smiling at him. We slowly lean forward and connect our lips, electricity running between us. I groan as the water starts making me shake, a clap of thunder following a strike of lightning accompanying it. 

I spend another five minutes in before stepping out, Bruce wrapping a warm towel around me. I wrap it tight and turn to him, snuggling my wet head into his chest. 

"We've got a long future ahead of us Ash." Bruce mumbles.

I stand back and look at him, slightly frowning. "Do we?"

Bruce looks down, rubbing his wrists. I can see him buying his lip, anxiety running through him. "Yes." he looks up. 

"I hope so.." I whisper, walking past him to our room. 

As the day wears on, the rain slowly stops, and the sun comes out just as it starts, setting an orange glare across the city. Bruce and I dress, heading down to Tony's floor. We're greeted by the smiling faces of Natasha, Clint, Steve, and Rhodey. Thor and Maria sgow up just minutes after us. A whole crowd of veterans and friends show up, making  party even more lively. Steve's new friend Sam shoes up as well, eyeing me the entire time. 

The night goes on without hitch, all of us messing around. Drinking, jokes, stories galore as we hang around. I stand with Rhodey and a few other people, listening to him tell his story. I laugh and look around the room, finding Bruce and Nat standing at the bar, talking. My smile slips as I watch them get closer. I look away as Natasha walks away, my eyes falling to the floor.

Sam comes over and talks to me for a while, making me laugh my head off. 

"So, are you busy tomorrow night?" Sam asks at one point. 

"It may come as a shock, but I'm engaged." I half smile.

"Oh, I am so sorry miss. I didn't even realize-"

"It's fine Sam," I giggle, "I'm very flattered." He likes and odd, walking away while mumbling a goodnight. 

We finish the night and everyone goes home, leaving the select few hanging around. 

At some point, Thor sets his hammer on the table, Clint watching him. 

"Whosoever, be he worthy shall have the power, whatever man, it's a trick!" Clint scoffs, twirling a drumstick in his hand. 

"Oh it is much more than that, my friend." Thor smiles, slightly laughing. 

"If I lift it, do I get to rule Asgard?" Tony asks, standing up and walking to the Mjölnir. 

"Yes, of course." 

"I will be fair but firmly cruel." Tony says as he starts trying to lift it. He struggles for  moment, the walks away, muttering I'll he right back. I glance at everyone, laughing. He comes back, one if the repulseors on his hands. He tries using that to pick it up, but it still won't budge. 

Rhodey gets up and grabs his, going to help Tony. We all laugh as they th struggle. 

"Are we even pulling?" He asks incredulously. 

"Are you on my team?" Tony looks at him, wide eyed. 

"Just represent, pull!" James groans. 

"Alright let's go!" He huffs. Soon those two give up, and Steve gets up, trying his luck. We all watch as it slightly nudges, mine and Thor's eyes widening. Steve gives up after a minute, making Thor laugh. Maria, Nat, and I all decline the offer, not willing to test our worth. Bruce and Natasha stay close to each other all night, talking amongst themselves. 

"The handles imprinted, whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints is, I think the, uh, literal translation?" Tony asks. 

"Yes, uh, well that is a very interesting theory, but I have a simpler one," Thor says as he picks it up, throwing it around, "You're all not worthy."

We all groan and laugh, shaking our heads. Everything comes to a stop as an ear-piercing screech goes through the room, making us plug our ears. We all turn and look as one of Tony's robots comes hobbling out of a doorway. 

"How could you be worthy?" It asks, walking towards us. We all stand as it comes closer, making us worry. 

"You're all killers." Everyone stands and watches the bot. I try, but I suddenly inhale, falling back onto the couch. I watch everyone as my vision goes black, the last thing I hear is Bruce mumbling about Ultron. 


End file.
